


The (Not So) Great Adventure

by Riddleisourking



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Based off of The Mummy (1999), Egyptian lore, F/M, M/M, Period Typical Attitudes, a desert is not a good place to have sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 07:53:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15577278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riddleisourking/pseuds/Riddleisourking
Summary: When Jace Herondale pick pockets a mysterious box off an Indonesian adventurer, he gifts the box to his brother, Alec, a librarian that deals in Egyptian lore. From there, Alec realizes the box contains a map of the fabled lost city, Hamunaptra. Without either knowing how to get there, they decide to put their trust in one Magnus Bane, the very man that Jace stole the box from in the first place.





	The (Not So) Great Adventure

**Author's Note:**

> We're gonna slightly follow the script until we meet Magnus, everything thereafter will be as original as can be expected from someone who knows very little about Ancient Egypt things 
> 
> (I'm going to do research, don't worry lol)
> 
> Also, the year this is written in is the 1920s

Museums and libraries exude an earthy and transcendent aura around them that from the moment the rush of cold air hit your face, a feeling of safety and of a home away from home slammed into you all at once. The two factors were dizzying but loneliness wasn't an issue there, it couldn't be. You were surrounded by failed conquerors and sunken vessels that would never be dredged up again; magic and adventures abounded, and wasn't that just the most thrilling thing?

But there was a reason why he didn't work in a library filled with all kinds of books instead of just the Cairo Museum of Antiquities, and it was because of another passion that he had and that was that he loved everything to do with Egyptian history. From the Pyramids of Giza to Mentuhotep II, there wasn't a single boring detail about Ancient Egypt that wasn't completely enjoyable. Er, well, at least to him. Neither Jace nor Izzy really wanted anything to do with his interests in Egypt and that was perfectly fine. Not everybody could be interested in reading about how the Persians conquered Egypt.

His own interests in the subject probably stemmed from the fact that his grandparents had been avid fans of ancient Egypt as well. Resulting in him being named after Alexander the Great, which was nice and all but he mostly left that part out whenever he could be bothered to go on dates. It was the 1920s, so he mostly went on dates with girls to keep up appearances but his eyes always strayed to the men around them. Subtlety wasn't his best skill but he was more than able to keep his homosexuality under wraps.

Breaking from his thoughts, he pressed along onto the step ladder with a few books under his arm and he placed them back into their rightful places with care. That's when he noticed it; a book was out of place.

He scrunched his nose up in disdain, “What are you doing over here?” He wondered, taking the dusty book and he read the title, _‘The Ottoman Empire: Where Did It Go Wrong?’._ Honestly, it would be easier to just ask what didn't go wrong. Anyways, it belonged on the shelf across from the one he already was on. It didn't take a genius to know that it would be smarter to just get down and switch the ladder to the other shelf instead of just leaning precariously over to the other diagonal bookcase, but when had he ever been smart enough to gauge these kinds of things? Besides, it was just a little farther away, if he could just...

Realization dawned quickly on him that he had misjudged the distance severely the moment that the ladder swayed with his weight towards the other bookcase faster than he could avoid the catastrophe that was bound to happen.

Books soared through the air as he hurriedly grabbed at them, a picture of Nefertiti seared through his vision, then he was falling into the shelf. He crashed into the old wood with a loud thud and he slid down the ladder the instant the entire 10 ft bookcase teetered and fell into the one behind it. A domino effect was happening and he hurried from the carnage and into the middle of the room where no bookcase could hit him.

He watched as one after one, bookcase hit bookcase, scattering books, scrolls, and artifact alike in a seemingly never-ending cycle of destruction reminiscent of the failed military invasion by Napoleon in 1798. Alec’s heart sank as he surveyed all of the fallen bookcases and the damage imparted on them because of his actions. This would be tough to explain to the curator and he would have to be beyond lucky to not lose his job. He took off the reading glasses that he had been wearing and sighed.

“What- How-” A thundering voice yelled from somewhere in the wreckage and he winced as the curator finally showed his face. He looked angry, not that Alec blamed him, he'd be pretty angry too if he were him, “Look at this! It looks like a dust storm tore through here!”

Alec started picking a few books up awkwardly and sighed once again as he met the curator’s eyes after a moment, “It was an accident.” He muttered and thinking better of it, he continued. “Sorry, it won't happen again.” Eloquent as always.

“When Ramesses destroyed Syria, it was an accident. You are a catastrophe! Why do I put up with you?” Barked the curator and he shirked from the tone, he deserved to be yelled at but that didn't mean that he had to like it. It wasn't everyday that he fucked up as badly as this.

“Maybe it's because I'm the only one in a hundred mile radius that actually knows how to catalogue all of these items?” Alec suggested, raising a dark eyebrow at him.

“Oh, right, because your parents were our highest-paying patrons.” He continued on as if he hadn't heard Alec and he met his eyes coldly, it was clear that he didn't much like him. Good thing that the feeling was mutual.

“Solid reasoning.” Alec gritted his teeth and held back his temper as the curator turned, surveying the damage with just an angry shake of his head. It was an awful mess but not completely impossible to clean up-

“Get this mess cleaned up and catalogued before you leave today, Alexander.” With that, the curator left after kicking a thick tomb.

There went his plans to treat Izzy and Jace out at the new restaurant that had just opened up five days ago. It was supposed to be a mix of native African cuisine and average Egypt cuisine. Most of the people that came in spoke highly of it and honestly, he had been looking forward to it a lot. Whether that was because the food selections had names inspired by Egyptian pharaohs had nothing to do with it.

_Clang!_

He turned towards the Ramesseum and hesitated, it was mid-afternoon and hardly anyone visited during these hours. The peak of business was usually very early in the morning and that hadn't changed at all in the three years that he had worked here.

_Click-clack._

The unmistakable sound of shoes on the floor came again and he walked, grabbing a torch as he stalked after the noise. The Curator was off in a separate wing, so it couldn't be him. Ergo, someone was in without permission -- usually, you were only let in with a tour guide and the footsteps were too minimal for them to be in a tour group.

He weaved, passing by statue and sarcophagus alike as he rounded and finally entered the Ramesseum. The Ramesseum was exactly how it had been left, which meant it was untainted by Alec’s clumsy hands and if he had it his way, it would stay that way. He didn't need to get yelled at again that day. After all, there was only so much the Curator would put up with from him.

_Thud!_

His eyes narrowed and he waved the torch around until he finally settled on a statue of Anubis and then of a statue of Horus. Their unseeing eyes were blank in their animal-like statues and it sent shivers down his spine. Nevertheless, he continued on past them.

His eyes stopped at one particular exhibit, it was a sarcophagus dated 1345 b.c. and it was open. Chills flooded his body and goosebumps stood on his arms. Someone had come in and stolen the mummified body within, that's all that it was. He needed to get the Curator to tell him but he found himself stepping closer to it in grotesque interest.

Expecting the worse, his hand went for the bronze chalice that was seated off to the side as a decoration piece.

He stepped closer to the sarcophagus, his grip on the chalice steadying, “Hello?” He called, finally ducking his head just as the mummy- or Jace, popped up with an over exaggerated growl.

Even knowing that it was his sibling, he whacked him with the chalice, “You ass, what are you doing here?” He asks, placing the chalice back in its place before helping Jace from the sarcophagus. Hopefully the dolt hadn't messed anything up, but a quick look over the inside revealed that there actually was nothing inside to mess up. Well, okay then.

“No need to get your panties in a twist, Alec.” Jace scoffs, his eyebrows doing a funny little dance as he pulled a papyrus roll from his pants, throwing it right back in the sarcophagus with no care for its preservation. “‘Sides, I got something that might interest you.”

Alec snorted. It was rare for Jace to ever come back from his travels with something to show for it. Actually, scratch that. It wasn't rare, it had never even happened before!

All the same, he held his hand out for whatever object Jace had found this time. Hopefully he wasn't scammed out of too much money for it. The last time, he bought a dead dung beetle just because the seller told him it was a scarab.

Honestly, he almost felt sorry for his poor luck. But last time he had also gotten Max and Izzy, their siblings, involved in his “treasure hunt”. Things almost went completely to hell in a handbasket if the cobra they stumbled across wad anything to go by.

Jace searched his satchel and came up with an octagonal object. He blinked. There were symbols on it. Actual symbols that looked like-

He swiped the object and turned it over in his hands. It was surprisingly smooth for it's age and the symbols were not so much symbols but hieroglyphs and hieratics.

His heart thumped in his chest on overdrive as he read the symbols on it carefully. It was easily translatable but with the royal cartouche seal of Seti the First, this was practically priceless. Where had Jace even gotten it? Not even he, himself, had this much money.

“Where-” He began.

“Stole it, don't ask. Just tell me, Alec.” Have drew in a shaky breath and his heterochromia eyes stare at him, desperation in them. “Did I find something?’

Alec allowed a small smile to cross his face, “Yeah, yeah, I think you did.”


End file.
